Oh-Oh Tom Delay up for criminal investigation
(COMTEX) Task force looks at DeLay allegations
Task force looks at DeLay allegations
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) _ The Justice Department's campaign finance
task force is reviewing allegations against House Majority Whip Tom
DeLay, R-Tex.
The matter was referred to the department by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. ,
in an Aug. 11 letter to Attorney General Janet Reno.
In his letter, Levin referred to a story in The Hill, one of two
newspapers covering Capitol Hill. The story said a Texas businessman
who had pleaded guilty to illegally using third parties as campaign
fund conduits for a GOP congressional candidate had told investigators
that DeLay had given him advice on how to undertake the scheme.
A spokesman for DeLay vigorously denied any involvement earlier this
month.
But Levin told Reno that additional material about the allegations was
contained in material filed by the businessman with the Federal
Election Commission.
Levin also cited material contained in the minority report of the
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Fred Thompson,
R- Tenn., which last year held hearings into alleged campaign finance
abuses.
The Justice Department, which is still waiting for its budget to be
approved by Congress, waited more than six weeks before responding to
Levin's request for an investigation.
In a Thursday letter, Acting Assistant Attorney General L. Anthony
Sutin told Levin that the allegations against DeLay and the minority
report material have been referred to the campaign financing task force
for their review.
Justice Department officials caution privately that a review is not a
full-scale investigation, and is standard procedure when a criminal
allegation is referred from a member of Congress.
The 120-member campaign finance task force so far has charged 12
people, all connected with Democratic fund raising, with campaign
finance abuses. _-
Copyright 1998 by United Press International.
All rights reserved. _-
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